The NET4GREEN project (Cross-border Innovation Ecosystem to Increase the Eco-Entrepreneurial Skills of Youth and Women) entered a key phase with a series of study visits in Italy, which were held from 26 to 28 January in Campobasso and Bari. During the visits, project partners continued the exchange initiated during the kick-off meeting and further explored the innovation ecosystems of Molise and Apulia.
On 27 January, during the visit to Molise, project partners visited the Campochiaro (CB) business incubator, managed by Sviluppo Italia Molise. The meeting focused on strategies supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as on concrete business experiences hosted within the incubator that are closely linked to the objectives of the NET4GREEN project.
On the following working day in Bari, in cooperation with the lead partner CIHEAM Bari, partners visited local innovation hubs and incubators. On this occasion, the Puglia Region presented the regional innovation ecosystem, along with available support tools and programmes for entrepreneurship and innovation.
All project partners – CIHEAM Bari, Puglia Region (Research and International Relations Section), Startup Albania, Sviluppo Italia Molise, the Innovation Fund of Montenegro, and the Agricultural University of Tirana – took part in the study visits and engaged in direct interaction with key stakeholders from the business, economic and academic sectors.
Next4Green is funded by the Interreg IPA South Adriatic Programme and was designed to address brain drain from the South Adriatic area and high unemployment, partly caused by education and training systems that do not fully meet labour market needs. The project aims to help young people and women in Italy, Albania and Montenegro develop skills to create and manage sustainable businesses by improving training, strengthening cooperation between public and private actors, and building a strong cross-border innovation ecosystem.
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